Automatic opening and closing means for a ski lift chair

ABSTRACT

A protective cover for a ski lift chair is automatically opened and closed. The protective cover is attached to a leaf spring lever which abruptly contacts and moves along a surface of a plank causing the protective cover to be opened and closed.

United States Patent lnventor Henry A. Rudkin, Jr.

Fairlleld, Conn. Appl. No. 797,483 Filed Feb. 7, 1969 Patented Jan. 19, 1971 Assignee Rudkin-Wiley Corporation Seymour, Conn. a corporation of Connecticut AUTOMATIC QPENING AND CLOSING MEANS FOR A SKI LIFT CHAIR 13 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

U.S. C1. 104/173, 105/150 Int. Cl. 351p; 1199, 7

B61 b 7/00 Field ofSearch .1; 104/173;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,985,224 5/1961 Sowder 155/2 3,008,761 11/1961 Mc1lvaine.... 297/84 3,347,173 10/1967 Carlevaro 104/173 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,376,569 7/1963 France 105/150 Primary Examiner-Arthur L. LaPoint Assistant Examiner-Robert Saifer Artorney--Mattern, Ware and Davis ABSTRACT: A protective cover for a ski lift chair is automatically opened and closed, The protective cover is attached to a leaf spring lever which abruptly contacts and moves along a surface of a plank causing the protective cover to be opened and closed.

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ATTORNEYS 1 AUTOMATIC OPENINGAND CLOSING MEANS FOR A .sklur'rcnaut p BAC GROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the automatic opening and closing of a protective covering for ski lift chairs, and in particular, to a cam-actuated lever which accomplishes these functions.

Ski lift chairs are carried up the side of the mountain or ski slope by means of cables and often are subjected to severe environmental conditions including rain, sleet, snow and strong wind currents. Protective means such as an enclosure hood or windshield are attached to the ski lift chair to protect the skier from these conditions during the ascent to the top of the slope. Such symptomsas severe windbum or frostbite resulting from exposure to the elements are prevented by these protective means. Further the aerodynamic design of the cover lessens sway due to the air resistance, increasing the safety for the skin the return trip down the slope, the ski lift chairs may be subjected to the same severe conditions and can be damaged. Further. the high wind resistance encountered by an uncovered ski lift chair requires additional power to move the ski lift chairs. in addition, uncovered ski lift chairs after returning to the bottom may be unsuitable for occupancy.

The need to protect the chair during its descent has been recognized before and is accomplished in either of several ways. First, upon departing at the top of the slope, the skier may be requested to close the protective covering before it makes its descent. Second, operators may be stationed at the top and bottom of the slope to close the cover at the top after the skier departs and to open it at the bottom to enable it to be occupied. There are several disadvantages to these two approaches for opening and closing the protective covering. For instance. skiers may often forget or be too lazy to close the covering; while if they do, they may be negligent and damage the chair and covering. When operators are stationed at the top and bottom of the slope, they also may be negligent in their handling of the cover. The damage suffered by the protective cover and chair can cause significant personal injuries to skiers occupying the damaged ski lift chair and cover.

An object of the presentinvention is to provide means to automatically open and close the protective cover for a ski lift chair.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple yet sturdy and durable mechanism for automatically opening and closing the protective cover for a ski lift chair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION in accordance with the present invention, the above objects are accomplished by providing a cam actuated lever assembly for automatically opening and closing a cover for a ski lift chair. The lever is t'txably attached to the cover of the ski lift chair and engages a cam at the top of the ski slope to automatically close the protective cover for the trip down the slope and engages a cent at the bottom of the slope to automatically open the protective cover to permit its occupancy during the return trip to the top. in particular, a mechanical linkage for imparting angular momentum to the cover for the ski lift chair housing is provided by integrally connecting the cover to the first of two ends of a cam-actuated lever with a fixed cam extending in a first direction, and a cable to cause the lever to move unitarily in a seconddirection which is oblique to the first direction and to cause the second end of the lever to contact the cam and move along it in the first direction while the first endmoves inthe second direction, thereby causing angular momentum tobe' imparted to the first end of the lever which automatically opens or closes the protective covering.

in the interest of safety, it is contemplated that the occupant of the chair will manually close the cover as it ascends and open it whenitreaches the top. Clearly, in accordance with the principles of the present invention these closing, opening, and closing functions couldalso be made'by means of a camactuated lever mechanism.

Sufficient angular momentum must be supplied through the leverto cause the cover to open or close. This angular momentum can be achieved in the above embodiment by using a relatively long cam and providing sufficiently long contact distance between the second end of the lever arm and the cam. It may be preferable to provide a curved cam to accomplish the desired functions. Use of'a long cam which, conveniently may be a plankfis undesirable since skiers will be moving in proximity to the cam. Since their mobility may be significantly impaired, the possibility of an accident is always present. Further, sufficient area may not be available for the installation of a long plank.

Thereare other disadvantages to the use of a rigid lever and cam arrangement. When the rigid lever initially contacts the cam, the chair assembly receives a significant amount of shock which may cause damage to the chair. The spatial relationship between the lever and cam must be maintained within a small range in order to achieve the desired performance. Further, the line speed with which the chairs can be carried along the cable is relatively slow due to the cam lever interaction.

Another object of the present invention is to minimize the length of the cam required to cause the cover of a ski lift chair to change its position.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cam which is relatively flat.

Another object of the present invention is to enable a ski lift chair to be moved relatively fast.

Still another object of the present invention is to minimize the shock sustained by the ski lift chair when the lever initially contacts the cam.

in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a portion of the angular momentum required to open or close the cover for the ski lift chair is provided by an additional source to that described above in the first embodiment by using an energy storing medium as the lever arm. This spring-aided cam-actuated lever permits the length of the cam to be decreased. The energy storing medium may conveniently be a system of coil springs or the lever itself may be formed by a leaf spring. When the second end of the lever makes its initial abrupt contact with the fixed cam, the spring will flex storing the energy arising from the initial abrupt contact. Under its own natural action after it initially flexes, the spring imparts angular momentum to the first end of the lever aiding the closing of the protective cover. This additional angular momentum provided by the spring member permits the contact length between the lever and cam to be shortened, thereby permitting the cam to be shortened. The lever may be fixed while an energy-storing medium is attached to the cam to'provide the additional angular momentum. in either embodiment the length of the cam may be shortened.

By providing the spring-aided cam-actuated lever mechanism, the shock sustained by the chair at the time of the initial contact is absorbed by the spring mechanism. Further, since most of the angular t'orque maybe provided by the energy stored in the spring, the spatial relationship tolerances between the lever and cam can be greater than the tolerances in the first embodiment. The spring-aided cam-actuated lever assembly permits the chair to be moved at a greater speed than that obtainable in the first embodiment which represents a significant economic benefit because more skiers per unit time can be carried to the top.

During adverse weather conditions, it would also be desira ble to have the covering protect the ski lift chair while it ascends even though a passenger is not occupying the seat. Further, during periods when the environmental conditions are relatively calm and during the spring and summer months when the ski lift chairs are employed for sightseeing excursions, it may be desirable to return the passengers in the ski lift chair down the slope without closing the protective covering at the top.

Another object of the present invention is to selectively engage and disengage the cam and lever.

Another object of the present invention is to automatically selectively engage and disengage the cam and lever.

In accordance with another principle of the present invention, the above objects are accomplished by automatically moving the cam from the path of the lever. An operator stationed at the bottom of the slope can cause the lever and cam to be disengaged by electromechanical means. For instance, he may press a button which causes electromechanical means to shift the position of the cam. Further, means may be provided to automatically sense when a skier is not ready or present to occupy the chair while it ascends. This automatic sensing means may take the form of a button operated by the skier, an optical sensing device or some other convenient sensing means. The cam will automatically be removed from the path of the lever in response to the sensed absence of a passenger waiting for the chair to carry him to the top of the slope.

THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is a side view of a ski lift chair and a protective cover according to the invention with the protective cover in its closed position.

FIG. 1A is an enlarged fragmentary view of the ski lift chair and lever arm of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a ski lift chair when the top portion of the protective cover, the plastic dome, open while the remainder of the protective cover is closed.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a ski lift chair and the protective cover shown in its open position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lever attached to the ski lift chair contacting a cam to close the protective cover.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lever attached to the ski lift chair and contacting a cam to open the protective cover.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lever comprising a system of coiled springs.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a curved cam for use with the cam-actuated lever attached to the ski lift chair.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIGS. 1 through 5 including 1A show a ski lift chair and a protective cover in various positions with relation to the chair. The same numerals will be used in each of the FIGS. to designate the same parts. The ski lift chair is carried along cable 10 by support bar 11 which supports the ski lift chair at its bottom 12 which is a part of seat portion 13 of the ski lift chair. The cover portion shown generally as 14 comprises a molded bubble top 15, preferably made of clear Plexiglass and a protective front panel 16, also preferably made of Plexiglass. Bubble top 15 is rigidly held in frame cooperatively attached to the seat 13 of the ski chair through bracket fixed to the seat portion 13 by means of pivot pin 30. A bar 17 extends across the bottom of front panel 16 upon which skiers may place their skies during their ascent. Front cover 14 is connected to the seat portion 13 of the ski chair at pivot point 18, which is a part of bracket 19 preferably welded to support bar 11 at weld points 21.

In order to explain the operation of the automatic opening and closing means which represents a principle of the present invention. it will be assumed that skiers are seated in the chair, have approached the top of the slope and manually flip open the protective cover by means of a manually controlled handle mounted inside the protective cover and not shown in the drawings. The front protective cover pivots about joint 18 and, as seen in FIG. 3, eventually reaches its open position. Shock absorber 22 is provided to prevent the cover from unnecessarily slamming against back stop 23 fastened to plate 19 which preferably may be a rubber roller, serving other functions described below. Face plate 24 attached to bracket 25 which is welded at points 26 to the bubble top frame 20 of the ski lift chair causes the front cover to halt its motion while being opened by contacting rubber cushion roller 23. Shock absorber 22 is mounted between two brackets 25 and 27 which are welded at points 26 and 28 respectively to the bubble top frame 20 and support bar 11 respectively. Shock absorber 22 prevents face plate 24 from abruptly contacting rubber cushion roller 23 because after it initially compresses, it slowly releases enabling face plate 24 to softly abut roller 23.

After the skier has left the chair, it is returned to the bottom of the slope but preferably and in accordance with the principles of the present invention, is automatically closed before its descent. To that end, and more particularly as shown in FIG. 4, a lever 29 abruptly contacts and moves along the top surface of cam 31 which is fixed to the ground. Lover 29 comprises, in one embodiment, a fixed rigid elongated bar and, in another embodiment, a spring system and a roller 32 preferably made of rubber rotating about pin 33. Pin 33 is part of one end of lever 29 while the other end of lever 29 is welded to the top surface of one end of flat plate 34 which is attached to bracket 19 by pivot pin 18. The other end of flat plate 34 is tapered to fit into sleeve 35 which is a part of the middle portion of the protective cover 14.

When the roller 32 abruptly contacts cam 31, lever 29 in one embodiment is caused to flex (as seen in FIG. 4) storing the energy produced by the initial abrupt contact. Cam 31 extends in a first direction while the ski lift chair is moved by cable 10 in a second direction oblique to the first. Angular torque is supplied to the protective cover 14 through this rela tive motion and, in one embodiment, through the energy stored in lever 29 when it comprises a spring system. Sufficient torque must be imparted to the lever mechanism before roller 32 leaves cam 31 to cause the protective cover to close. Plate 34 again serves as a stop cooperating with rubber cushion roller 23 when the protective cover 14 is closed by the automatic closure means of the present invention. During this closing function shock absorber 22 is initially compressed and while rotated about pin 41, which is attached to bracket 27, while the protective cover is being closed, it begins to release slowly enabling flat plate 34 to softly abut against stop 23.

When the closed ski lift chair reaches the bottom of the slope and a skier is waiting to occupy it during its ascent, protective cover 14 must be opened to permit such entry. To that end, and as particularly seen in FIG. 5, roller 32 contacts a cam 31a but in this case moves along the bottom surface of cam 31a. Sufficient angular torque is provided to open protective cover 14 in the same manner as described above for the closure of the protective cover. Stop 23 previously described cooperating with flat plate 24 and shock absorber 22 limits the movement of the protective cover 14 when it is fully opened as described above.

The opening and closing functions have been generally described above. In one embodiment of the present invention, the lever comprises a stiff rod which is caused to rotate because of the relative movements of the lever roller 32 and a cam 31 or 31a, forcing the protective cover 14 to change its position. As described above, the length of cam contact required in this embodiment may be significant and provides several disadvantages. One alternative to the flat cam 31b illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5 is a curved cam as shown in FIG. 7, which provides greater torque than its flat counterpart, but this curved cam may be expensive.

In another embodiment, the lever 29 may comprise a spring system and, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, may be a leaf spring system or, as shown in FIG. 6, may be a system of coiled springs. The advantages attendant the spring system for lever 29 have been set forth above and, in particular, provide less shock to the ski lift chair and enable the cam to be shorter than the cam used with the rigid lever.

Bubble top 15 may be manually opened about pivot pin 36 which is fixed to plate 37. Frame 20 which holds the bubble top has bracket 42 welded thereto and pivots around pin 36 to enable bubble top 15 to be opened manually without the bottom portion 16 of protective cover 14 being opened. Plate 37 cooperates with rubber roller 23 to provide a stop for bubble top 15 in its open position and shock absorber 22 enables plate 37 to softly abut stop 23. A manual latch or a hingedtype mechanism is provided inside the protective cover 14 which is not shown to enable the skier or occupant to The cam 31; 31a or 31b may automatically or manually be moved away from the plane in which roller 32 moves, when desired. to enable the protective cover 14 to remain closed during is ascent orto allow the ski chair to descend the hill with the protective cover in its open position.These situations have beendescribed above.

Since the foregoing description and drawings are merely illustrative. the scope of protection of the invention has been more broadlystated in the following claims; and these should be liberally interpreted so as to obtain the benefit of all equivalents to which the invention is fairly entitled.

1. Means for automatically opening and closing a protective cover for a ski lift chair comprising:

A. a ski lift chair;

B. a protective cover pivotally mounted to said chair capable of being moved to a 'first closed position to protect said chair and to a second open position to enable said chair to be easily occupied;

C. a first end of a lever fixed to said protective cover to control the position of said protective cover with said lever including a second end thereof;

D. a fixed cam extending in a first direction;

E. means to cause said lever to move unitarily in a second direction which is oblique to said first direction and to contact said cam abruptly at said second end of said lever causing said second end to move in said first direction as it moves along said cam and causing said first end to move in said second direction whereby angular momentum is imparted to said first end of said lever as said second end of said lever moves along said cam in said first direction causing the position of said protective cover to change.

and removing said second end of said lever from said cam when the angular momentum of the first end is great enough to change the position of said protective cover.

2. The invention as defined in claim I wherein said cam comprises a top and a bottom side with the second end of said lever being caused to contact abruptly and: move along said bottom side to change the position of said protective cover from closed to open.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said cam comprises a top and bottom side with said second end of said lever being caused to contact abruptly and move along said top side to change the position of said protective cover from open to closed.

4. The invention as defined in claim'Z wherein said fixed cam surface is a plane.

5. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said fixed cam surface is a plane.

6. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said fixed cam surface is curved. I 7. Means for automatically opening and closing a protective cover for a ski lift chair comprising:

A. a ski lift chair;

B. a protective cover pivotally mounted to said chair-capable of being moved to a first closed position and to a second open position;

C. a first end of a'cam-actuated lever fixed to said protective cover to control the position of said protective cover with said lever including a second end thereof;

D. said lever comprising an energy storing medium;

E. a fixed cam extending in a first direction;

F. means to cause said lever to move unitarily in a second direction which is oblicue to said first directionand to contact said cam abrupt y at said second end of said lever causing energy to be stored in said lever, causing said second end to move in said first direction as it moves along said cam and causing said first end to move in said second direction whereby angular momentum is imparted to said first end of said lever by said energy storing medium and the movement of said second end of said lever along said cam in said first direction; and

G. removing said second end of said lever from said cam when the angular momentum of the first end is sufficient to change the position of said protective cover.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said cam comprises top and bottom sides with said second end of said lever being caused to contact abruptly and move along said bottom side to cause said protective cover to change its position from closed to open.

9. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said cam comprises top and bottom sides with said second end of said lever being caused to contact abruptly and move along said top side to change the position of said protective cover from open to closed.

10. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein said fixed cam surface is a plane.

11. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein said fixed cam surface is a plane.

12. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said energy storing medium comprises a system of coiled springs.

13. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said energy storing medium comprises a leaf spring system. 

1. Means for automatically opening and closing a protective cover for a ski lift chair comprising: A. a ski lift chair; B. a protective cover pivotally mounted to said chair capable of being moved to a first closed position to protect said chair and to a second open position to enable said chair to be easily occupied; C. a first end of a lever fixed to said protective cover to control the position of said protective cover with said lever including a second end thereof; D. a fixed cam extending in a first direction; E. means to cause said lever to move unitarily in a second direction which is oblique to said first direction and to contact said cam abruptly at said second end of said lever causing said second end to move in said first direction as it moves along said cam and causing said first end to move in said second direction whereby angular momentum is imparted to said first end of said lever as said second end of said lever moves along said cam in said first direction causing the position of said protective cover to change, and removing said second end of said lever from said cam when the angular momentum of the first end is great enough to change the position of said protective cover.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said cam comprises a top and a bottom side wiTh the second end of said lever being caused to contact abruptly and move along said bottom side to change the position of said protective cover from closed to open.
 3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said cam comprises a top and bottom side with said second end of said lever being caused to contact abruptly and move along said top side to change the position of said protective cover from open to closed.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said fixed cam surface is a plane.
 5. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said fixed cam surface is a plane.
 6. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said fixed cam surface is curved.
 7. Means for automatically opening and closing a protective cover for a ski lift chair comprising: A. a ski lift chair; B. a protective cover pivotally mounted to said chair capable of being moved to a first closed position and to a second open position; C. a first end of a cam-actuated lever fixed to said protective cover to control the position of said protective cover with said lever including a second end thereof; D. said lever comprising an energy storing medium; E. a fixed cam extending in a first direction; F. means to cause said lever to move unitarily in a second direction which is oblique to said first direction and to contact said cam abruptly at said second end of said lever causing energy to be stored in said lever, causing said second end to move in said first direction as it moves along said cam and causing said first end to move in said second direction whereby angular momentum is imparted to said first end of said lever by said energy storing medium and the movement of said second end of said lever along said cam in said first direction; and G. removing said second end of said lever from said cam when the angular momentum of the first end is sufficient to change the position of said protective cover.
 8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said cam comprises top and bottom sides with said second end of said lever being caused to contact abruptly and move along said bottom side to cause said protective cover to change its position from closed to open.
 9. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said cam comprises top and bottom sides with said second end of said lever being caused to contact abruptly and move along said top side to change the position of said protective cover from open to closed.
 10. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein said fixed cam surface is a plane.
 11. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein said fixed cam surface is a plane.
 12. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said energy storing medium comprises a system of coiled springs.
 13. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said energy storing medium comprises a leaf spring system. 